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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bound — certain
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. key — in music
  6. root — of a word
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bore — to tire
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. perch — the fish
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. race — a contest
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bound — tied together
  15. key — the most important part
  16. root — the cause
  17. fine — all right
  18. race — humankind
  19. root — of a plant
  20. bound — obliged
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bore — to drill
  24. key — for a lock

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com